The present invention relates to novel card games or gambling games that can be played with a standard deck of cards or with a novel deck of playing cards, more specifically the present invention relates to a novel card game utilizing the combination of the well known tic-tac-toe game, along with the rules of blackjack (otherwise known as twenty-one), or the rules of poker. In the novel game, nine playing cards are dealt to a player, one at a time from a standard deck of 52 playing cards, and the player must decide as each card is dealt where to place the card on a tic-tac-toe (3 by 3 array) board, in order to obtain the sum of 21 (when adding up three cards), either across, down or on a diagonal. The player attempts to create as many 21 totals as possible. In the novel game of poker, the cards are also placed on the board, but the player places the cards in the optimal position to obtain the best poker hand or hands.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention relates to a novel deck of playing cards made up of approximately 60 cards. The novel deck comprises six groups of ten cards, each card having a numeric value of between one and ten (i.e., six cards having the number five, six cards having the number ten, etc.). These novel cards, unlike standard cards, do not contain a suit indication, such as Spades, Hearts, Diamonds or Clubs.
Another alternative embodiment of the present invention is a novel deck of playing cards contains either 37 or 38 cards. Each playing card corresponds to a number (1 through 36, 0 and 00), and a color (black, red or green), found on a standard wheel used in a game of roulette. The novel cards may also contain other information, such as whether the card number is odd or even, and whether the number on the card pertains to the first-third of numbers, second-third, or third-third.
Playing cards have been in existence for many years. Although there are many types of playing cards that are played in many different types of games, the most common type of playing cards consists of 52 cards, divided out into four different suits (namely Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs) which are printed or indicated on one side or on the face of each card. In the standard deck, each of the four suits of cards consists of 13 cards, numbered either two through ten, or lettered A (Ace), K (King), Q (Queen), or J (Jack), which is also printed or indicated on the face of each card. Each card will thus contain on its face a suit indication along with a number or letter indication. The King, Queen, and Jack usually also include some sort of design on the face of the card, and may be referred to as picture cards.
In some cases, the 52 card standard playing deck also contains a number of extra cards, sometimes referred to as jokers, that may have some use or meaning depending on the particular game being played with the deck. For example, if a card game includes the jokers, then if a player receives a joker in his xe2x80x9chandxe2x80x9d he may use it as any card in the deck. If the player has the ten, jack, queen and king of Spades, along with a joker, the player would use the joker as an Ace of Spades. The player will then have a Royal Flush (ten through Ace of Spades).
Many different games can be played using a standard deck of playing cards. The game being played with the standard deck of cards may include other items, such as game boards, chips, etc., or the game being played may only need the playing card deck itself. In most of the games played using a standard deck of cards, a value is assigned to each card. The value may differ for different games.
Usually, the card value begins with the number two card as the lowest value and increases as the numbers increase through ten, followed in order of increasing value with the Jack, Queen, King and Ace. In some games the Ace may have a lower value than the two, and in games where a particular card is determined to be wild, or have any value, that card may have the greatest value of all. For example, in card games where deuces, or twos, are wild, the player holding a playing card containing a two can use that two as any other card, such that a nine and a two would be the equivalent of two nines.
Further, the four different suits indicated on the cards may have a particular value depending on the game. Under game rules where one suit, i.e. Spades, has more value than another suit, i.e. Hearts, the seven of Spades may have more value than the seven of Hearts.
It is easy to visualize that using the different card quantity and suit values, many different games can be played. In certain games, it is the combination of cards that one player obtains that determines whether or not that player has defeated the other player or players. Usually, the more difficult the combination is to obtain, the more value the combination has, and the player who obtains the more difficult combination (also taking into account the value of the cards) wins the game.
For instance in the game of Poker, each player may ultimately receive five cards. The player who obtains three cards having similar numbers on their face, i.e. the four of Hearts, four of Diamonds and four of Clubs, will defeat the player having only two cards with the same numerical value, i.e. the King of Spades and the King of Hearts. However, the player with five cards that all contain Clubs, commonly known as a flush, will defeat the player with the same three of a kind described above.
In many instances, a standard deck of playing cards is used to create gaming machines. In these gaming machines players insert coins and play certain card games, such as poker, using an imitation of standard playing cards on a video screen, in an attempt to win back more money than they originally inserted into the machine.
Another form of gambling using playing cards utilizes tables, otherwise known as table games. A table uses a table and a dealer, with the players sitting or standing around the table. The players place their bets on the table and the dealer deals the cards to each player. The number of cards dealt, or whether the cards are dealt face up or face down, will depend on the particular table game being played.
Further, an imitation or depiction of a standard playing card is used in many handheld electronic games, such as poker and blackjack, and in many computer games and Internet games. Using a handheld electronic game or a computer terminal that may or may not be connected to the Internet, a player receives the imitation playing cards and plays a card game either against the computer or against other players. Further, many of these games can be played on the computer in combination with gambling.
Also, there are many game shows that are broadcasted on television that use a deck of playing cards in the game play, in which the cards are usually enlarged or shown on a video screen or monitor for easy viewing. In these television game shows, the participants play the card game for prizes or money, usually against each other, with an individual acting as a host overseeing the action.
Also, there are lottery tickets that players purchase and play by xe2x80x9cscratching offxe2x80x9d an opaque layer to see if they have won money and prizes. The opaque layer prevents the player from knowing the results of the lottery ticket prior to purchasing and scratching off the layer. In some of these lottery tickets, playing cards are used under the opaque layer and the player may need to match a number of similar cards in order to win the prizes or money.
In the present invention, a novel board game and/or gambling game that can be played with a standard deck of playing cards utilizing the combination of tic-tac-toe with the rules of blackjack or twenty-one. Nine cards are dealt, one at a time, from a standard deck of playing cards (52 cards having 13 cards per each of four suits). The player must decide, as each card is dealt, where to place the card on an enlarged tic-tac-toe board. The object is to obtain a sum of twenty-one either across, down or on the diagonals.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for playing the game of blackjack in which nine standard playing cards are dealt to the player, and the player places the cards on an exaggerated (in size) tic-tac-toe board in an attempt to obtain totals of 21 when adding three cards (either across, down or diagonal). The player positions the cards such that as many totals of 21 can be obtained.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for playing the game of poker in which nine standard playing cards are dealt to the player, and the player places the cards on an exaggerated (in size) tic-tac-toe board in an attempt to obtain the highest value poker hand using three cards (either across, down or diagonal). The player positions the cards such that each set is a separate poker hand.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a deck of playing cards made up of 60 individual cards, divided into six groups of ten cards per group. Each card of each group has a numeric value of between one and ten (i.e., six cards having the number five, six cards having the number ten, etc.) These cards do not necessarily need a suit indication (club, spade, diamond or heart) as found on cards from a standard playing deck of cards. Other combinations of numeric values and group numbers can be used, such as ten groups of cards each card containing the numeric value of between one and seven.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a novel deck of playing cards containing novel cards, each card corresponding to a number (one through 36, 0 or 00), or a color (black, red or green). This information is similar to some of the information found on a standard roulette wheel and table board. If there is only one xe2x80x9czeroxe2x80x9d card, then the deck contains 37 cards; if there is a xe2x80x9cdouble-zeroxe2x80x9d card, the deck will contains 38 cards.